Occasionally on short trips when I know I’m going to have to do a reservoir change, I fill the reservoir at home and take just the reservoir with me on the trip: it saves having to take the insulin flask with me and I find it quite convenient.
I am about to leave on a 4 week trip. What do others think about prefilling the reservoirs and taking the insulin with me in that form?
Not sure how to deal with the airlines but should be able to get over that somehow!
I would do that for a shorter trip, if no airlines were involved. Involving airlines makes it harder. I see that you are in Switzerland, so I’m not sure how it works there.
I know that here in the USA the TSA agents at security checkpoints reserve the right to confiscate liquids - this can include insulin. They have made it very clear that insulin should be in the original packaging with a prescription label. Not all TSA agents enforce this, but it’s better to err on the side of safety.
I wouldn’t do that. You never know what happens - your pump can break and you’ll need to use pens or needles before you get a replacement, then drawing insulin from a reservoir might be inconvenient…
When I go on a longer trip, I always carry 2 insulin bottles, in case one would go bad, break or got lost… I know it’s a pain in the neck when diabetic supplies take SO much space in the luggage 
but I wouldn’t wanna risk having to deal with being short of cannulas or having to figure out where to get insulin in a foreign country for instance…
also, what Kari says about the airlines makes sense. what about carrying a note saying you’re diabetic and have to have insulin reservoirs with you…?
I’ve also heard that insulin degrades in plastic faster than it does in glass vials. So I’m not sure insulin would last for four weeks in a plastic cartridge/resevoir.
Studies of insulin in pre-filled syringes suggest that they started to denature after just a day. Granted that this mixtures of long-acting insulin, but I think Jen is probably right. Given that insulin in vials only lasts a month once opened, it seems risky to think that prefilled resevoirs would keep your insulin just as long.
Oh wow! I have never even thought to do pre-filled reservoirs before! Great idea for a short trip! Though I agree with others have said: I don’t think I’d do it for a 4-week trip!
Thanks for the advice - I’m going to be in Australia for 4 weeks and that is by far the longest (in time) trip that I have made since going on the pump. Just trying to organize this the best possible way. So the insulin will stay in the vials. However I’m not going to be able to take all the supplies of cannulas and reservoirs in my carry-on, which is what I usually do. I’ll take about half as carry-on and the other half or so as checked (though the insulin will be in carry-on).
I’m not too worried if things go wrong. After all they have diabetics in Australia and it shouldn’t be that difficult to get insulin in an appropriate form to carry me over.